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Nothing is more classic French than a bittersweet farewell between friends, family, or loved ones, often accompanied by handshakes, kisses on the cheek, and the obligatory farewell interaction with everyone present, to put it really.adoptionin French.
Even if you don't want to sometimes, being able to say goodbye to a social situation is an important skill. Buthow to say goodbye in french? In this post we present ten different ways to say goodbye in French, when to use each expression and with whom it is best to use it.
If you're looking for "hello" and "goodbye" in Spanish, check out our BaseLang postgreetings and goodbyes in spanish. But for our farewell French lesson, we're ready to go. Allons-y!
This post is hosted bylanguage culture,the number one pathlearn french online.
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Bye
Starting with the most common option of how to say goodbye in French, we haveBye. . . . The literal translation ofByein English it is essentiallyuntil we meet again, although this meaning has practically been lost over time: it is as common as a farewell between people who will never see each other again, for example. B. between merchants and customers or over the phone with customer service.
ByeIt can be used in virtually any situation where you need to say goodbye in French, formal or informal. When in doubt, you really can't go wrong with this.Bye!
- Thanks for coming.Bye! - Thanks for coming.Bye!
Health
A more informal way of saying goodbye in French isHealth, which can be used to sayEymiBye. FromHealthit is quite informal, it should be used mainly with friends and family. Today, it is most commonly heard by younger people, although it is sometimes used by older generations as well.
- it was really a good movie. Hello ! - It was a great movie. Bye bye!
For more ways to say hello in French, we have another post on our BaseLang blog that includes10 ways to say hello in French.Otherwise, we took inspiration from the LingoCulture post list for these two blog posts.16 simple greetings in French.
bye
Okay, we know what you're thinking. You want to know how to say goodbye in French and instead you see an Italian word at the top of the list! Well, just like in English,byeit is also a common way of saying goodbye in French. In contrast to its dual usage in Italianbyeis never used as "hello" in French, just likeBye. It's still pretty casual, so avoid using it with your boss, but it's still appropriate when leaving a store or even a casual restaurant.
- It was nice to see you again, Camille.bye! “It was good to see you again, Camille.bye!
see you shortly
Another very common way to say goodbye to the French.see you shortly, Meaningsee you shortlyosee you shortlyIn English. This expression can be used in both formal and informal situations, but should only be used when it is likely that you will actually see the other person in the near future. Just like in English, it would be strange to saysee you shortlyin French when you have no idea that you are going to see that person soon!
- I'll see you around noon, okay? SO,see you shortly! - We'll meet around noon, okay? So,see you shortly!
See you tomorrow
See you tomorrowit is in englishsee you in the morningosee you in the morning. It can be used in any context, from formal to casual, as long as you know you'll see each other again tomorrow.
- What a great lesson today, my students!See you tomorrow. – What a good class today, my students!See you tomorrow.
One day a week]
If you know that you will see someone again on a specific day of the week, you can use the phraseone day a week]when their paths part. For example, if you know you will see this person on Tuesday, saySee you on TuesdayforSee you on Tuesday. This expression can be used both formally and informally.
- I can't wait for the next session!see you on Wednesday! – I look forward to the next session!see you on Wednesday!
Here is a short list of French days. For an in-depth lesson, we recommend this post ondays of the week in french.
to assemble | to assemble |
carnaval | mars |
Wednesday | Wednesday |
THURSDAY | Thursday |
Freitag | Freitag |
SATURDAY | Saturday |
Domingo | Domingo |
not moment]
You can also use this structure with other time specifications, such as specific hours of the day (noon, 8:00 PM), general hours of the day (tonight), weeks (next week), or months (April, May).
- At noon! –See you at night!
- Happy Holidays!Until January. - Good parties!see you in January.
For complete lessons on referencing different time periods, check out these posts atMonths and seasons of France, and alsohow to tell time in french.
Until next time
If you want to be more general, you can useUntil next time, MeaningUntil next timeountil next time. This French goodbye option can be used formally or informally and is for when you're not sure when you'll see each other again.
- It was a pleasure speaking with you.Until next time. - It was a pleasure speaking with you.Until next time.
see you later
Carefulis more casual and meanssee you laterin French. He uses it when he knows that he is going to see the person later that day, but doesn't know exactly when. This expression can be abbreviated asCarefulwhen spoken to, orbis+or simplyA+in a written way. These abbreviations seemsee you latercan be shortenedlater, whilel8ris even an English equivalent tobis +emFrench SMS language.
- Then the game begins. We have to go there.Careful! - Starts the game. We have to start.See you later!
- Let.Careful! - Leave.Later!
See you later
Another informal way of sayingsee you laterit is in frenchsee you later. It's a bit more formal than the plus tard, so it's a better option if you don't know the other person very well. Again, this should be used when you know you'll be seeing the other person later in the day. In very informal conversations, this expression can be abbreviatedAdjunct.
- You're coming back, aren't you?See you later! - You'll be back, right?See you later!
Good morning Good Night
the expressionsintestinetime of the daymiHave a good nightare nice ways to say goodbye in French, but each one has an additional meaning ofhave a nice dayoHave a good night. These phrases are very common when leaving a store or restaurant, or among coworkers. Both can be used in formal and informal situations.
- Thank you, I hope you enjoyed your meal.Good day! - Thank you, I hope you enjoyed the food.Have a nice day!
- It's time to go home.Good night! - It's time to go home.Have a good night!
bye
Fittingly, our final way of saying goodbye is in French.bye. This word develops from the phraseuntil next time, which literally meansbye, although today it no longer has those religious connotations. The best translation ofbyeYuntil next time, as it's usually reserved for situations where you're unlikely to see the person again.
- Good luck in your new position in Strasbourg.bye. – Good luck with the new job in Strasbourg.until next time.
In fact,byecould even be seen as a translation ofThank Godin French, used in ancient times to command someoneuntil next timeon a dangerous journey.
- Good luck fighting the Celts.bye, freres month! - Courage in the fight against the Celts.Thank God, my brothers!
For a detailed analysis of the different possibilitieswish someone luckin French, see this postgood luck vs good luck.
List of expressions to say goodbye in French
Now that you've seen how to say goodbye in French, let's quickly recap the expressions we covered in this post:
Bye | Bye |
Health | Bye |
bye | Hello Goodbye |
see you shortly | see you shortly |
See you tomorrow | See you tomorrow |
Until Monday, until tonight, etc. | Until Monday, until tonight, etc. |
Until next time | Until next time, until next time |
see you later | see you later, later |
anytime, anytime | See you later |
Good morning Good Night | Good morning Good Night |
bye | until next time |
Conclusion: goodbye in French
We have covered more than ten in this post.Different ways to say goodbye in French. Each expression has its own nuances, so we discuss which expressions are more formal, more informal, or both. We also examine the contexts for using each expression togoodbye in french, many of which depend on your plans to see the person again.
With all these options, you will be prepared to vary your vocabulary in conversations and choose between them.farewell expressions in frenchmost suitable for your situation. good luck andUntil next time!